From power systems to public safety: remembering two engineering inspirations
Dr Malcolm Kennedy
We bid a fond farewell to Dr Malcolm Kennedy, President of the IET in 1999. Dr Kennedy died shortly after his 90th birthday in March this year at his home in Northumberland.
Dr Kennedy’s engineering training began as an Apprentice with CA Parsons in Newcastle upon Tyne. At the time of retiring in 2003 from Merz and McLellan (M&M) he was the Chairman and Managing Director.
Malcolm’s post-graduate research on transient stability of synchronous machines in electrical power systems earned him a Doctorate. He balanced his studies alongside comedy, clog dancing and singing traditional ‘Geordie’ ballads.
After graduation he joined M&M, Consulting Engineers, in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1964. He quickly became Assistant to the Chief Engineer working on an impressive variety of power projects across the world: hydro-electric in Argentina; mechanical work in Baghdad and EHV electricity projects in Sweden, South Africa, Colombia and the Middle East.
Perhaps the most interesting of his technical activities was as Technical Advisor in the 1980s to the UK Government on the privatisation of the Electricity Industry. His technical ability, interpersonal skills and general humour earned him the listening ear of Secretaries of State and Technical Personnel alike.
He’ll be remembered for more than being our President in 1999, or his engineering career, but also as an avid railway enthusiast, eager cricketer and passionate Methodist Lay Preacher.
Sir David Davies
We remember the life of Sir David Davies, who died recently at the age of 89, with gratitude for his service to the IET as President from 1994–95. And are inspired to read the highlights of his career in which he used his engineering skills to care for and protect others.
Sir David became one of the most influential engineers of his generation. He advised the government on some of the most sensitive political and defence issues in modern times.
A significant contribution was his report for (the then) Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott on safety improvements of rail travel in the wake of the disastrous train crash at Ladbroke Grove in October 1999, which killed 31 people and injured many more.
Sir David’s robust report provided a voice of calm in the clamour for immediate action. His recommendations were endorsed by the ensuing public inquiries.
He served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and later as Chair of the MoD Nuclear Research Advisory Council.
His research in antenna arrays, radar, signal processing, and optical fibre was highly regarded. He invented fibreoptic sensors to measure quantities such as strain and temperature, for which he won the Rank Prize for optoelectronics in 1984.
Sir David was elected to the Fellowship (later the Royal Academy) of Engineering in 1979 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1984. He was appointed a CBE in 1986 and knighted in 1994 for services to science and technology.
He was widely respected across the profession and leaves a strong legacy of commitment to educating the next generation of engineers.